This year, the theme of the three-day event is ‘The Future of Humanity: Where Will We Be in 2075?’ and the guests include the 30th-anniversary cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, actors William Shatner and John Cusack and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

The conference will run between April 21-23 and be held in downtown San Jose, where it is expected to attract up to 100,000 people. The event will include a section for start-ups, entertainment company stalls, technology exhibits and a panel discussion about what lies ahead for the human race.

First and foremost, Wozniak said that big companies such as Apple, Google, and IBM will be around for a long time. The reason he gave for this prediction? “Look at Apple’s cash”, he said, “It can invest in anything. It would be ridiculous to not expect them to be around (in 2075). The same goes for Google and Facebook”.

Wozniak also believes that deserts could be ideal locations for cities of the future, as we find new ways to deal with overpopulation and a looming housing crisis. Within these cities, Wozniak thinks AI will be ubiquitous, permeating everything we do.

Regarding forays in space, Wozniak predicts that we will get to Mars but isn’t hopeful about us making contact with an alien race. He also added that we need to be cautious when making guesses about the future, noting that things change quickly. “Who could have foreseen the rise of an Uber a decade ago?” he said.

Speaking of Uber, it looks like Apple has made some progress with its plans for autonomous cars.

Last September, things seemed to be on ice with The New York Times reporting that Apple had laid off “dozens of employees” and that it was “rethinking its strategy”.

However, in December, Apple sent a letter to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in which it stated:

Apple uses machine learning to make its products and services smarter, more intuitive, and more personal. The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.

Then last week, the California DMV updated its site for autonomous vehicle testing to include ‘Apple Inc.’ as the latest addition.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is ready to take its autonomous car software to the streets and it will be testing it with existing Lexus SUVs. The notoriously secretive tech giant has been extra careful regarding this project, but Bloomberg believes Apple will decide on the “final direction of this platform” by fall this year.

In the meantime, like the Woz, the best we can do is guess.

About the author

Stefan is an Adelaide-based freelance writer. In his spare time, he plays tennis badly, collects vinyl and brushes up on his Mandarin. Follow Stefan on Twitter